British Open: On any links course, wind is its great protector; and a player's worst enemy, writes Philip Reid.

On a course like Royal St George's, with its outrageous bumps and hollows that contrive to turn a good shot into a poor one, the arrival of a strong wind - as happened in yesterday's first round of the British Open - can not only ruin many a title aspiration, and it did, but it can also make grown men, giants of the game, capitulate. It can make them feel like insignificant nothings.

By any standards, yesterday's shenanigans on this piece of coastal land were extraordinary. For three or four days, players had prepared for the season's third major in splendid sunshine and kind, gentle breezes.

It all changed, changed utterly, once the real action started. A south-westerly wind of evil intent with gusts of up to 35 m.p.h. came to wreak havoc, and the consequences were that Hennie Otto - a South African qualifier who sneaked out in the morning's first three-ball - shot the lowest score, a 68, on a course that bore little resemblance to the tamer beast of the practice days.

Only five players managed to beat the course's par of 71, and much of the field battled to save face as much as construct scores that would leave them in the hunt for golf's claret jug.

Among those to suffer were the world's number one and two: Tiger Woods, the pre-championship favourite, lost a ball off his very first shot; and Ernie Els, the defending champion, didn't manage a single birdie in a round of 78 that included seven bogeys.

Yet, the fate to befall many others was much, much worse. Jerry Kelly ran up an 11 - without losing a ball - on his first hole, and later withdrew because of a hand injury.

Colin Montgomerie, who injured his hand when slipping on steps outside his hotel in the morning, was forced to abandon his quest for that elusive major after just seven holes, while Paul Azinger simply had enough when reaching the turn in 42, six over par, and called it a day.

Steve Elkington, a former US PGA champion, had the ignominy of shooting 86, seven strokes more than he had ever taken in a round at the British Open.

This was not a day for the faint-hearted, and no one could ever accuse Woods of being such a being.

Indeed, he showed considerable fortitude in twice coming back from setbacks that could have ruined his chances of regaining a major title. On the first hole, he suffered a triple bogey seven when his opening drive careered into thick and wet rough, for the ball never to be seen again. "It was a little disconcerting," admitted Woods. "But I'm pleased I hung in there."

In fact, Woods covered the next 17 holes in one-under, and that despite taking a hat-trick of bogeys from the 12th to the 14th. I

t is a measure of his resolve that, once again, he could negate those glitches by responding with birdies on the 15th and 16th holes to eventually hand in a 73. "You can shoot yourself right out of this event and I just tried to stay as patient as possible and keep myself right in there," explained Woods, who only hit three fairways. "The majority of drives I hit were not very good," he admitted. Still, Woods remains very much in the hunt - and there are precedents for players contriving to produce comebacks.

Way back in 1896, Harry Vardon was 11 strokes behind the first round leader and went on to win while, more recently, Paul Lawrie was 10 shots behind the leader going into the final round and contrived to win.

Yesterday, Lawrie was one of those to suffer most, shooting an 81, while England's bright young things - Luke Donald (76), Justin Rose (79) and Paul Casey (85) - struggled in the conditions.

Els was another to find the going tough, which surprised him. "I've played in conditions like that before," said the South African, "but this golf course is really difficult.

I had a real problem with my putts, and threw a lot of shots away on the greens." He had 34 putts, way too many for anyone with serious title ambitions.

"I said before this tournament started if we get tough conditions on this golf course then we are going to have serious problems. There are some fairways you just can't hit and then you have to negotiate the rough, flyer lies and all that stuff," claimed Els.

"It's going to be very difficult to get back into this, and I need a very good second round. If I can finish this event in even par it would be a good effort."

Of as much a surprise as the numerous disasters was that Otto should claim the first round lead.

The 27-year-old South African - without a career win on the European Tour - has only made four cuts this season and, at one stage, thought his career would be threatened by a back injury that eventually required surgery.

Here, he recovered from a bogey at the third to claim birdies at the seventh and eighth and, then, came home in 33 and did not drop a shot until bogeying the last. Can he maintain this over four days? "I hope so. Give it to me now, I'll take it," he replied.

If he were to look over his shoulder, though, one or two heavyweights are waiting to pounce.

Otto took a one-shot lead over Davis Love III and Greg Norman on 69 at the end of a strange day, while Korean SK Ho and Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson, the only player not to incur a bogey, shot 70s.

Each of this season's two major winners - Mike Weir, the Masters champion, and Jim Furyk, the US Open champion - opened with 74s.

For day one, at least, the course was very much the winner. Many players have played their way out of the tournament but, with the weather expected to improve, there is the chance for them to get something back over the next three days.

And Woods, as much as anyone, would expect the course to owe him a friendly bounce, or two.